By John Crane
March 24, 2009
The Virginia Coal and Energy Commission’s Uranium Mining Subcommittee took a critical step Tuesday toward a study to determine whether uranium can be mined and milled safely in the commonwealth.
The subcommittee unanimously approved a draft of the study’s first phase outlining the technical and scientific aspects of the analysis that Michael Karmis, director of the Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech, said would take about 18 months.
However, the second portion of the study that would address the socioeconomic aspects of uranium mining and milling will be decided upon at a later date, Delegate Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, said after the meeting held in the General Assembly Building.
More than 100 people attended the 2 1/2-hour meeting, including opponents of uranium mining and representatives of Virginia Uranium Inc., which seeks to mine and mill a 119-million-pound uranium ore deposit at Coles Hill, six miles northeast of Chatham.
Before the subcommittee approved the study draft, Karmis said he would take it to the National Research Council for discussion. The NRC is under the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine.
The NRC would seek and identify nationally renowned scientific experts to perform the study, Karmis said.
He said the technical half of the study will look at global, national and state supply/demand trends and projections, as well as costs and market aspects. Study topics also will include uranium mining and milling technologies, local groundwater and surface-water monitoring, mine-site monitoring, and post-mining land use and monitoring.
Economic benefits vs. safety
Delegate Kristen Amundson, D-Mount Vernon, questioned giving the economic aspects of the issue priority when safety and environmental matters should be the main focus.
Delegate Watkins Abbitt, I-Appomattox, said the marketing aspects of uranium mining should be left for the private sector to study and if mining uranium is found to be unsafe, examining its costs and benefits would be a waste of time.
Karmis said it’s important to develop a background of uranium and milling as it’s been conducted in other places.
Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, said the economic part of the study is important.
“I think we have to ensure there is a market for it (uranium)” he said.
Karmis said he would get technical input from the NRC and report back to the subcommittee.
More than 20 people, including residents of Pittsylvania County, aired their concerns about uranium mining and milling at Coles Hill.
Pittsylvania County resident Sue Poe, whose ancestors settled in the county in the mid-1700s, asked the subcommittee not to let the county become an experiment. Uranium may be harmless in its natural state, but it becomes hazardous when it’s removed from the ground and mined and milled, Poe said.
Virginia Uranium spokesman and geologist Patrick Wales pledged the company’s cooperation with the NRC.
Corning’s upcoming closing at the end of the year in the Danville area will leave 200 more people jobless in a region already suffering from high unemployment, Wales said, illustrating the need for uranium mining’s economic benefits.
‘Uncover everything’
Three representatives from the Dan River Region also expressed their concerns.
Sen. Robert Hurt, R-Chatham, whose father, Henry Hurt, is an investor in VUI, asked Karmis to consider the role of federal eminent domain in the issue.
He wanted to know what would happen if the federal government decided to come and take the property. In addition, Hurt said there are a lot of unknowns surrounding the issue, and it’s critical to look at the issue from a statewide perspective.
“It’s important to identify what we don’t know,” he said.
Delegate Danny Marshall, R-Danville, said safety is paramount.
“Everything else is secondary,” he said.
Delegate Don Merricks, R-Pittsylvania County, said this study is one instance where micromanaging can be a good thing.
“Uncover and hear every concern,” Merricks said. “Uncover everything, but also address economic concerns.”
Ware agreed and said the study must remain free of undue influence.
“It’s important this study is done without the glare of politics,” he said.
Contact John R. Crane at jcrane@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7987
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